The 2015 Popularity Contest (aka UK General Election )

[Bruce Wayne]

It doesn't. Plenty of us work hard but don't live in properties worth over 2m.

You're obviously not working hard enough mate

 

[daylightrobber]

0.5% of homes will be hit by the Mansion Tax and over 50% of them are owned by overseas investors.

The pensioners being evicted from homes argument is scaremongering at its finest as the plan would be to levy any tax when the property change hands.

 

[Seanjd]

It's a funny old time and no mistake. It used to be that parties would clamour for the centre ground as it was usually that which won elections. This time round though Labour have veered left because of the Greens and SNP, whilst the Tories have veered right because of UKIP.

The only vaguely centrist party (LibDems) have been hammered in the polls. Not sure it's at all healthy for things to be so polarised. Hopefully it's just for show and they agree on much more than they're letting on.

I personally think it's about time parties stopped occupying the centre ground. At least there is something to differentiate between.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Then levy a tax on when they sell it then, not because of where it is.

Or even better, increase a tax on folks that buy homes for that value if you must do something in that area.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I personally think it's about time parties stopped occupying the centre ground. At least there is something to differentiate between.

But then we get a situation like we have on here in this thread where those on the left don't agree with anything those on the right say, and vice versa. I'm simplifying a bit as right and left are not quite as black and white as that, but personally I don't want a situation as in America where Republicans and Democrats don't agree on anything at all, often simply out of tribal loyalty.

 

[The Esk]

Or even better, increase a tax on folks that buy homes for that value if you must do something in that area.

Bruce, stamp duty land tax is already 12% at the highest level for residential property.

 

[SNova]

What's the likelihood of one party winning the election without a coalition of some sort?

 

[Joey66]

What's the likelihood of one party winning the election without a coalition of some sort?

Nil

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Bruce, stamp duty land tax is already 12% at the highest level for residential property.

You know me, I'd rather not have the tax at all, or if you must tax property have a land value tax instead, but none of the parties have proposed anything remotely akin to that. I just think the mansion tax is a blunt weapon in the class warfare that this election appears to have become. Both parties have become almost cliches of each other.

 

[Joey66]

And that is one of the flaws in the policy. With Balls running around saying it will raise £2b and he will spend this on this and that, he cant actually force people to sell a house can he?

So it is a stupid policy if the idea is to raise real money to spend on real things.

The council tax bands need moving to a higher plane for houses over 1 5 million - to the maximum height its rediculous that a posh studio flat in London pays the same council tax of a mansion with an acre of land!

 

[ToffeeDoug]

What's the likelihood of one party winning the election without a coalition of some sort?

Current odds are 1/7 ON that no party wins a majority at the election, while the Tories are 1/2 ON to be biggest party. It is possible that the Tories win about 300 seats and try to go it alone with some loose alliance with the Lib Dems and the Democratic Unionists, possibly UKIP as well.

 

[meagher94]

What's the likelihood of one party winning the election without a coalition of some sort?

http://www.electionforecast.co.uk/

According to this, there's a 93% probability of there being a hung parliament, 4% probability of a Labour majority and 3% probability of a Conservative majority.

 

[Woolly Blue]

Ok. Two similar families work hard and buy a nice house. Not mega rich, but comfortable.

One buys a 3 bed semi in, say, Reading. One buys a 3 bed semi in say Preston.

10 years later, whilst doing similar jobs, and earning similar amounts of money, why should one pay a tax on the value of his house, and the other one shouldnt?

Dont get the logic nor fairness of it.

Like anyone would want to live in Reading.

 

[Seanjd]

And that is one of the flaws in the policy. With Balls running around saying it will raise £2b and he will spend this on this and that, he cant actually force people to sell a house can he?

So it is a stupid policy if the idea is to raise real money to spend on real things.

Most people living in those houses will earn enough to be paying the £250 a month easily. They said it will raise 1.2bn.

 

[Blue 1]

The council tax bands need moving to a higher plane for houses over 1 5 million - to the maximum height its rediculous that a posh studio flat in London pays the same council tax of a mansion with an acre of land!

There's a lot wrong with the council tax, and I think more banding might be a good idea, but a posh studio flat in London is probably worth more than a four or five bed place with an acre of land in quite a few parts of the country.